Series
Sermons and worship from the 9:00/10:30 am service at First-Plymouth at 20th & D.
Nov 29, 2020 4:30 AM America/Chicago
The early church fathers (there were surely mothers too :) called the Old Testament book of Isaiah the "fifth gospel" because it became so central in how the church understood the 'Christ-event. This Advent at First-Plymouth we will be giving special spir
Nov 22, 2020 4:30 AM America/Chicago
We come to the last "essential" scripture of our Fall sermon series. And it is fitting we end with the great commandment of Jesus to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. This has always been seen as the very ce
Nov 15, 2020 4:30 AM America/Chicago
At the very beginning of the Bible is the great "imago dei." It is announced that human beings are made in the image of God. In the first chapter of scripture this principle is offered as a guide to all future moral progress - every human being possesses
Nov 8, 2020 4:30 AM America/Chicago
Jesus walked up a mountain, looked upon the people and began to teach us to love thine enemies, turn the other cheek and refuse no one help. It's as if by taking us up that mountain he is trying to take us to the very pinnacle of morality. It becomes a pe
Nov 1, 2020 4:30 AM America/Chicago
Psalm 23 may be the most famous poem of all time (Sure, it's actually lyrics to an ancient Hebrew song but now functions as poetry). For almost three thousand years it has been read millions upon millions of times and has touched human hearts with its cal
Oct 25, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
Our timeless text this week is the parable of the prodigal son. Fully 1/3 of all the teachings of Jesus are in the form of stories and this is perhaps the most well-known story he told (maybe the Good Samaritan edges it out). Everybody likes a good redemp
Oct 18, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
This week our service is exploring the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Through many voices and ages participating in the worship, we will remember the deep values that an
Oct 11, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
This week we reside in the passage of John that describes the crucifixion. Buddhism has as its first noble truth the fact that life is suffering. Christianity, with the cross, also acknowledges the full reality of suffering. Reducing the suffering of othe
Oct 4, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
This week Dr. Jim Keck looks at one verse in our Bible that could potentially heal the major divisions of the world. In fact, if we really believed Galatians 3:28 (look it up:) the major sources of acrimony among human beings would melt away and we would
Sep 27, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
This week Dr. Jim Keck looks at the Beatitudes (the opening verses to the Sermon on the Mount). What can Jesus mean when he says that the poor, mournful and meek are the blessed ones? He seems to be flipping the script on our whole sense of reality. Yeah,
Sep 20, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
This week we gather around the Damascus road experience. Saul was simply a horrible person leaving pain and wreckage in his wake. But suddenly he was changed and turned his whole life around. Do you believe a person can really change? Join Dr. Jim Keck th
Sep 13, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
A Prophet from the Farm Many of us will recognize those simple yet profound words of Micah 6:8 - "Do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God." Such beautiful instructions can stir up respect and admiration for this prophet who lived 2800 years ag
Aug 30, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
A Mighty Fortress is Our God In this last part of our sermon series on three great hymns, Dr. Jim Keck explores the reformation classic "A Mighty Fortress is our God." Written by Martin Luther just ten years after he nailed his protestations on the Witten
Aug 23, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
Precious Lord, Take My Hand When we sing to God, we offer back our very breath to the One who first gave us life. The scriptures show us that people of faith are called to sing their joy and praise - yes, but also their longing and prayer... and even thei
Aug 16, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
We are unable to be singing our great hymns together right now. So Dr. Jim Keck and Tom Trenney selected three hymns that have a timeless power and can speak to a hurting world. This week, Dr. Keck will preach on the awesome song "Great is Thy Faithfulnes
Aug 9, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
I put a picture of the Caribbean Island of St.Thomas next to this just to get your attention. I am actually preaching on St.Thomas the Apostle - not the gorgeous getaway - this weekend. You might remember him as the "Doubting Thomas" in John 20 but there
Aug 2, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
Humanity has a long tradition of persecuting prophets while they live and singing their praises after they die. At least, this was Jesus' contention. In the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus becomes incensed at the religious and civic leaders' habitually
Jul 26, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
King Solomon is one of the most fascinating figures in history. He was a great King, Poet, Lover, Philosopher and Prophet. In 1st Kings Chapter 3 we read about God coming to him in a dream and offering to fulfill his greatest wish. Rather than wishing for
Jul 12, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
One of the events that most shaped the story of our faith is the Babylonian captivity. In the sixth century Jerusalem and the temple fell to invasion and thousands of people were exiled to a foreign land. In this time of pandemic, perhaps many of us feel
Jul 5, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
Using the passage about the healing of the blind man at Bethsaida, Dr. Keck will explore how we each lack a perfect clarity of vision and our brain tends to over compensate and make us more confident of our perceptions than is sensible. Fun optical illusi
Jun 28, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
So often it's easy for us to see someone in need and pass right by, thinking "That's not my neighborhood. That's not my responsibility. That's not my Child." Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that we are all neighbors and that when we truly
Jun 21, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
Much of Jesus ministry was lakeside. The lake of Galilee is so prominent in our Gospels its virtually a character in the story. (It's called the "Sea of Galilee" simply because their language did not differentiate between oceans and lakes). Let's spend th
Jun 14, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
We live in a time where worship at churches has been mostly suspended due to the pandemic. Quickly, the faith communities reacted and moved into the realm of digital worship. At some point, we will return to in-person worship, but now there will always be
Jun 7, 2020 5:30 AM America/Chicago
Using a remarkable passage where Jesus himself seems to display a culturally conditioned prejudice but reacts quickly to right the wrong, Dr. Jim Keck will highlight that one of the major impulses behind the creation of our New Testament was an effort to